The present invention relates generally to the field of write transducers for writing data to magnetic tape, and more particularly to write orientation direction for such write transducers.
In magnetic tape systems, the media: (i) is structured as a long flexible ribbon; (ii) is commonly called “tape;” and (iii) is typically enclosed in tape cartridges that can be mounted and recorded in different tape drives. The cartridge and/or constituent tape are sometimes referred to herein as a “removable medium.” Magnetic storage is the storage of data on a magnetized medium. Magnetic storage technology makes use of different patterns of magnetization (specifically, patterns of magnetic transitions) within the body of the tape medium itself, to store data. A transducer (called a “write head”) is used to convert portions of an electrical signal to corresponding magnetic transitions on (or, more accurately, “in”) the tape storage medium. In order to read the data stored on the tape, the pattern of magnetic transitions located over the length of the tape are later transduced back into an electric signal using a “read head” or a “read/write” head.
Many currently conventional particulate tape media employ an orientation of the magnetic axes (that is, north and south pole directions) of the magnetic material of the tape, relative to the overall geometry of the tape (that is, longitudinal direction, thickness direction, transverse direction), which is called “perpendicularly oriented.” More specifically, “perpendicularly oriented” means that the anisotropy axes of the small magnetic particles that compose the medium are oriented: (i) parallel to the thickness direction of the tape; and (ii) perpendicular to planes defined by the major surfaces of the tape medium. As the following is used herein, “non-parallel oriented” is somewhat similar to the term “perpendicularly oriented,” but more broadly means that the direction of anisotropic axes of the magnetic material are not substantially parallel to the major surfaces of the tape medium.
In some conventional tape designs, perpendicularly-oriented tape media are made without a magnetic soft underlayer (herein called “underlayerless tape”). Underlayerless tape is typically recorded with a “ring head” in order to ensure reliable magnetization of the perpendicularly-oriented magnetic material.
Another newer conventional tape design includes a soft underlayer which is in a laminate (that is, stacked layer) structure with a thin magnetic recording layer (particulate or thin-film). The soft underlayer: (i) is bound to the recording layer so that it will be adjacent to the major surface of the recording layer which is opposite the major surface of the recording layer which passes directly by the write head during a write operation; (ii) is magnetically soft so that it is temporarily magnetized by the write head as a given portion of the underlayer passes by the write head; and (iii) helps ensure an appropriate magnetic field all the way through the thickness of the recording layer during write operations so that there is reliable and effective writing of perpendicular magnetic transitions in the recording layer.
Conventional write head structures enable recording at relatively large areal densities. For perpendicular oriented tape media with a soft magnetically underlayer, as described in the previous paragraph, the write head structure typically includes a pole head with a trailing shield.